Hospital supports Unicef flu vaccine campaign

STAFF at Sligo University Hospital are once again supporting the Unicef ‘Get a Vaccine, Give a Vaccine’ campaign by getting their flu vaccination.

For every member of staff who gets a flu vaccine, the Saolta University Health Care Group will donate 10 polio vaccines to Unicef.

This is the fourth year that staff have been supporting Unicef in this way and last year a total of 45,500 vaccines were donated on behalf of staff in the Saolta Group of hospitals, including Sligo University Hospital.

Director of nursing at the hospital Marion Ryder said: “Following on from the success of our partnership with Unicef last year, I am delighted that we are in a position to take part in the ‘Get a Vaccine, Give a Vaccine’ once more. I’m proud of the support from all our staff for this campaign which supports children in very vulnerable living conditions. For each one of us who gets the vaccine, 10 polio vaccines will be donated to Unicef and at two doses per child, we are each able to help protect five children from a devastating disease.”

Unicef Ambassador and Galway senior hurler Joe Canning launched the campaign last week and in a video to staff said he was thrilled to say that Saolta University Health Care Group is once again working with Unicef this year. “It means that every time a member of staff gets their free flu vaccine, Saolta will contribute to the vaccination of five children against polio,” he said. Paul Hooton, who is chief director of nursing and midwifery for the Saolta University Health Care Group, said there was now a greater emphasis than ever on the need for as many hospital staff to get the vaccine as possible.

“In these uncertain times, knowing that we are able to protect our staff, our patients and our families by getting the vaccine ourselves, is a great comfort.

“There has been unprecedented demand for the flu vaccine nationally and we are very fortunate that the national immunisation office is prioritising the vaccine for those aged over 65 and healthcare workers and we have access to a supply of vaccine for at least 75% of all staff,” he said.

Unicef executive director Peter Power said that every year Unicef distributes over 1 billion doses of polio vaccines and since 1988, the number of children affected by polio has reduced by 99% – from 350,000 cases in 125 countries to fewer than 200 cases today in just two countries.

He said: “However, polio virus transmission is expected to increase in Pakistan and Afghanistan and in many under-immunised areas of Africa. In addition to interruptions to vaccination campaigns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these children live in remote, fragile and conflict-affected areas which makes reaching them with vaccines more difficult.

“Failure to eradicate polio now would lead to global resurgence of the disease, resulting in as many as 200,000 new cases annually, within 10 years.”

This year, to mark their 75th anniversary, the Phoenix Players in Tubbercurry had hoped to present ‘Musical Memories through the Decades’. Unfortunately, that was not possible. Undaunted, the group is compiling a book to chronicle all the productions and activities of the last 25 years, which will be available soon. Any photographs, memories or amusing anecdotes from group members past and present are welcome. These can be passed on to committee members Eamonn Gallagher, Mary Mannion, Mark Dunne or Tom Walsh, or emailed to tjosephwalsh@gmail.com. In December 1995, to mark their 50th anniversary the Phoenix Players staged for four nights a full-length nativity play, ‘Two From Galilee’. More than 200 people were involved as choir members, cast and crew. The group sent the Sligo Weekender this fabulous photograph from the 1995 production. Pictured, from left, are John Murtagh, Séamus Conway, John McIntyre, Peter Schneider, Peter Davey and Gerry Maye, and, kneeling, Tom Towey, Catriona Coleman, Peadar Conway and John Paul Kelly.